


Wanderings of a Hollow Knight

by StagePlay



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Canon Continuation, Canon-Typical Violence, Embrace the Void Ending (Hollow Knight), Gen, More characters will be added as I go, Post-Canon, Post-Embrace the Void Ending (Hollow Knight)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:33:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23809192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StagePlay/pseuds/StagePlay
Summary: Taking place directly after the Embrace The Void ending from Godmaster, the Hollow Knight is finally freed, so they decide to travel around Hallownest. Meanwhile, the Shade Lord escapes into the real world.(I mainly wanted the Hollow Knight to go on their own little road trip but also I have ideas about what happened after the cliffhanger)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 91





	1. The Black Egg Temple

Scraping metal, blinding gold and bronze, and then a call. The Hollow Knight doesn’t remember much from the strange dream they had, but at the same time it felt so real. The only dreams that they had were filled with the overpowering light of her, but this was different.

Their mind was still reeling from the experience that it took them a moment to realise where they were. Yes, they were inside the smooth, dark interior of the Black Egg Temple, but instead of being hung from the ceiling like a caged animal, they were curled up on the cool floor, broken chains strewn around them, like something had torn them down. The second thing they noticed was that the air was different. Instead of the constant aroma of that sickly sweet stench, the air was just stale.

The vessel began to stir. They rolled over and attempted to push themselves upward with their remaining arm. The task was made easier when they noticed their tattered nail right next to them, still stuck in the floor, which they used to prop themselves up. Then, they slowly staggered over to the now opened entrance to the Black Egg, chains rattling behind them. They would remove the armour weighing them down, but that wasn’t their concern right now.

Just outside the entrance was a smaller bug, with pointed horns not unlike their own and donning a red outfit. She was staring at something on the wall, until the vessel drew closer, to which she made a small surprised gasp and quickly moved into a battle stance. Defensively, the vessel followed suit, scraping their nail against the floor.

The smaller bug started by taking a step back and throwing her needle directly at the vessel, to which they hastily backed away from. The bug smirked, pulling the strand of silk on her needle back, causing the weapon to retract and slice the vessel’s leg. The vessel, taken aback, decided to run forward and continuously slash at the smaller bug, but they were too slow. The smaller bug instead quickly jumped over the Hollow Knight, giving her an aerial position. From above she lunges forward needle first, hoping to attack the vessel’s back, but the vessel turned and blocked it with their own nail, and pushed her away.

The smaller bug’s feet skidded on the floor and she made an annoyed grunt.

She then decided to start jumping from wall to wall as fast as she could. The vessel was confused and tried to make a few swings at her as she went by, but missed. They tried to move forward and swing at her again but instead they were met with an invisible wall. Silk. She was trying to trap them. Knowing this the Hollow Knight started rapidly and randomly swinging their nail about the room, trying to cut through as many strands as they could. Soon the floor began to be covered with small piles of silk.

The smaller bug, still dashing around, sighed, “So, that’s not going to work.”

So, she braced herself against the wall of the temple and made another aerial lunge, this time landing on the vessel’s back and firmly digging her needle into their shoulder blade, causing the vessel to lose balance and collapse to their knees. She at least wanted them to be in a weaker state so her new plan to be effective. Next, she spread strands of silk around the room again, this time planting small contraptions on them as she went.

The Hollow Knight, trying to balance themselves again, only had a second to notice the threads around them before the small contraptions jostled and sprouted into balls of spikes. Before long they were entirely surrounded, with barely enough room to even make a proper swing at the things. Not only that, but they now had a moment to notice the floor below them was becoming sticky and damp.

Ah.

They were two focused on their attacker to hear the droplets of void landing on the floor, seeping from their wounds. While the smaller bug’s attacks were minuscule, the vessel had forgotten about the ones left from the infection. Sure, the cysts had deflated and dried up, but it didn’t mean the holes it had left in their body had healed. In fact, the fight had only caused any healing flesh to rip open again.

Exhausted, the Hollow Knight unceremoniously slumped back onto the ground, breathing heavily.

The smaller bug decided to go over to her weakened opponent, and noticed that lack of a bright, orange glow that once consumed their eyes. With that, she finally made an observation she really should have a while ago.

“You’re not infected anymore.”


	2. The House of a Stranger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hollow Knight awakens in the house of a stranger, meanwhile something stirs down below.

_ Thick, black smoke swirled in every direction. A room with no start or end completely encased in darkness. A figure came into view. It was a small, underdeveloped vessel, never trained to prime. Its horns were curved and thin, its body short and stumpy, but its empty eye sockets conveyed a sense of understanding and determination. Its stare was firm, but not harsh.  _

_ Behind this vessel, the smoke parted, and others faded into view. They were also small and young, almost carbon copies of the one in front, but their horns twisted and curled into a variety of shapes. They did not move or listen, only waited. _

_ The vessel with the thin, curved horns, continued to stare, until the silence was cut with a small crack, like chipping an egg shell. The cracking noises were small but continuous, until an actual crack was visible on top of the vessel’s head. The crack continued to make its way around the vessel’s shell until the crack cascaded down its face. Gradually, it increased in size, until the cracking sound was so loud it could have been deafening. _

_ When the crack had finally reached the vessel’s chin, the sound stopped. The crack ran directly around the vessel’s shell, parting it vertically in the middle. Then, the halved shell began to slip. Both halves started to slide off of the vessel’s head, only slowed by viscous strands of void clinging to the interior. _

_ The two pieces fell to the inky floor with an unceremonious clatter. _

-

The Hollow Knight shot awake. What was that? And why? This time it was clearly a dream, but something about what they saw was uncannily familiar. The sound of the vessel’s hurried, rasping breathing was interrupted by a voice.

“Are you alright?”

It was the smaller bug draped in red. Her voice was stern, but the quickness of her delivery implied a level of worry.

The Hollow Knight now realised that they didn’t know where they were. They two of them were inside a small, rounded building. The walls, worn and water-damaged, were dark and covered with ornate carvings. The floor was cold and made up of a collection of rounded stones. In terms of furniture, the house didn’t have much to speak of. Near the back there was a small round table and a collection of shelves housing various trinkets and preserved foods. Near the doorway of the small house, both the smaller bug’s needle and the Hollow Knight’s worn nail laid against the wall.

The vessel looked down at themself. They were resting on a makeshift bed of sorts, in that they were on a normal bed that had been extended with various pillows and cushions due to their stature. About three blankets of various sizes also draped over them. It should also be noted that this bed took up most of the floor space in the house.

They looked over at the smaller bug. She had been sitting on a chair near the doorway, just opposite to the bed. It appeared that she used this to watch over the vessel as they slept. Although, it appeared that she had been working on something too, as the now-standing bug was clutching both a small sewing needle and a light grey piece of cloth.

The smaller bug’s shoulders visibly relaxed. “I’m glad to see you’re awake, at least.”

She began to walk over to the Hollow Knight, but they instinctively shuffled away from her.

The bug stopped. “I see, that’s understandable,” she grumbled. 

She straightened her posture and said, “I apologise for our altercation earlier, vessel. Your sudden appearance took me off guard, and I wasn’t sure if you were-“ She stopped, trying to find the right words. “... in your right mind.”

She once again began to walk over to the Hollow Knight, slower this time. She knelt down beside them and lifted back one of the blankets. They vessel in turn decided to try and sit up, using the strength left in their remaining arm to balance themselves. They could now clearly see the state their body was in. Nearly all of their torso was cocooned in tightly bound silk. The silk was pale and gleaming, except for a few darkened areas where void had begun to seep through.

The smaller bug scanned over it and hummed. “It seems fine for now, I’ll leave it for a few more hours,” she said. She turned and looked directly at the vessel. “I took it upon myself to try and heal your wounds. It was the least I could do after I caused some of them myself.”

The bug flipped the blanket back over, and was about to stand when she stopped. “I never told you my name, did I?”

The Hollow Knight shook their head.

The smaller bug let out an exasperated sigh. Not at the vessel, but at herself. She stood and patted dust off of her cloak. “I am Hornet, protector of Hallownest and you are in my house.”

The Hollow Knight could very much see that they were in a house.

Hornet went over to her cluttered shelves and started rummaging through them. “Would like you something to eat?” she asked.

The Hollow Knight did not respond.

“Either way you need to help rebuild your strength. I doubt your time in the Black Egg Temple has been very kind to you.”

That... was something the Hollow Knight would rather not dwell on.

Hornet crouched down and started searching through some drawers instead, producing a cacophony of scraping metal and pinging glass. The noise eventually came to a stop and Hornet produced a small, bulbous creature. It was clearly dead, but the inflated sac on its back still sloshed with a luminous blue liquid.

“How do you feel about eating illegal contraband?” Hornet asked.

The Hollow Knight visibly recoiled, eyeing the small thing with an expression approximating disgust.

“Am I to infer that  _ the Hollow Knight _ is scared of a dead little bug?” Hornet said mockingly.

The vessel slumped their shoulders and glared at Hornet.

“You have no need to worry, honestly. I’ve used plenty of the pathetic things to give me a little extra strength on my travels.” Hornet said, toying with the thing in her hand. “I have no idea why the King outlawed such harmless critters. Maybe he thought their power threatened his rule.”

Hornet went over and knelt by the Hollow Knight, placing the bug in their hand. The Hollow Knight just stared at it. The little insect’s body had shrivelled, it’s legs curled up. It’s head was gone, presumably the method in which it was killed, leaving behind a small fleshy hole. The sack though, was surprisingly still strong and firm, with the sack itself having a thick lining.

The Hollow Knight could vaguely recall a memory in which the Pale King went on a rant to a cook who so much as  _ proposed _ the idea of using lifeblood in a meal.

_ The Pale King had been toiling away in his workshop, tinkering with a defective wingmould. Meanwhile, the Pure Vessel had been standing guard just off to the side. Dinner would be served in the next hour, and one of the royal cooks came into the workshop to inform him of that night’s menu. _

_ “My Wyrm,” the cook said, “the dinner will entail a starter of roasted squit, a course of stewed tiktik with a side of poached eggs and salad dressed with lifeblood-“ _

_ The Pale King lay down his tools and wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Do away with the dressing. I cannot stand lifeblood. It is foul and permeates the flesh in a way I cannot bear. Disgusting.” _

_ The cook’s body stiffened, but they regained composure. “Alright, my Wyrm, I will not use it. I am sorry for thinking that-“ _

_ “You thought to include that horrid substance in my food?” The Pale King snapped, “You dared this attempt on my tastebuds? My being has suffered scorn. How dare you. I cannot face the bug that dared wound me. This is a mortal injury to my body and soul. Leave at once, before you murder me outright.” _

_ The poor cook visibly deflated, and weakly said, “Yes, my Wyrm.” before exiting the workshop. _

_ The Pale King turned back to his work, but as soon as the cook was out of earshot he let out a small chuckle. _

_ Father... where is he now? _

Hornet impatiently waved a hand in front of the Hollow Knights eyes, causing the vessel to shudder, snapping them back to reality.

“Finally, there you are. It seems you got lost in your thoughts for a moment,” said Hornet. “Are you going to eat the lifeseed now?”

Right, the lifeseed. The Hollow Knight was still firmly grasping it in their hand. They gave the small insect’s sack a light squish, testing its durability.

Hornet continued. “I said ‘eat’ but technically the idea is to puncture the sack and suck out the liquid inside, although the rest of the bug is actually edible.” She watched as the vessel periodically squeezed the little bug. “If you need help breaking through the sack, I could use a small needle to-“

_ Splat _ .

Hornets face was now lightly speckled with blue liquid. 

The Hollow Knight had just burst the lifeseed in their hand. The liquid had also splattered onto the Hollow Knights bandages, the blanket, and even on the nearby wall.

Hornet just froze. Was she surprised? Angry? Horrified? Confused? Probably a combination of the four. All she could do was let out a shaky whimper.

Just then, all of the droplets of lifeblood started to pull away from the surfaces they had landed on. The glowing liquid was sucked towards the Hollow Knight, oozing into any available surface of void they could find. Once all of the lifeblood was absorbed into their body, the Hollow Knight briefly emitted a blue glow.

Hornet let out a heavy sigh, “Right. Okay. As long as it works.”

She swiped the burst lifeseed out of the Hollow Knight’s hand. She stood and began to examine it, critically eyeing it in her hand at a number of angles.

“Hmm, it’s actually still in good condition,” Hornet said. “The sac may have been ruptured but the body has been left relatively unharmed. Perhaps I could cook the body and eat it as a light snack, or I could use a preservative so it can be eaten on my travels.”

The Hollow Knight scrunched their eyes at Hornet.

“Excuse you, vessel, but I don’t believe you have the right to judge me after what you did,” Hornet said, pointing a finger accusingly.

She put the lifeseed in an empty jar, saving it for later. She softened. “Do you feel a bit better?” She asked.

The Hollow Knight nodded their head. They could already feel a new, refreshing liveliness inside them. They knew it was only temporary, and it wasn’t much, but at least they were no longer teetering on the edge of death.

“That’s good, that’s good.” Hornet replied. She then paused and chuckled to herself, “I also apologise for any... extra injuries given to you along the way.”

The vessel could only tilt their head to indicate confusion.

“You were unconscious but I had to wrap you in a giant silk cocoon and drag you all the way here to Dirtmouth from the Black Egg Temple,” Hornet said. “I’ll admit, I may have given you some extra bumps and scratches. Hauling someone with your stature up and out of a well isn’t an easy task. Not to mention, I had to sneak past the local residents so they didn’t think I was taking a dead body to my house.”

Dirtmouth, so that’s where they were. The Hollow Knight had actually began to suspect that, after all, the house was fairly small and didn’t match the architecture of somewhere like the City of Tears or the White Palace, it was more rustic and simple. The Hollow Knight had even been to Dirtmouth briefly before they...

No. Don’t dwell on that.

Hornet continued, “You’re lucky I arrived because even before our fight you seemed to have been in quite a state. I had actually come to the temple to help fight you anyway, to help prevent the infection’s spread, but my purpose was to help assist-“ She stopped. Something about her face tensed up. Her eyes squinted, as if she were searching for something.

A moment passed, and she said, “Have you... seen a vessel? One like you, but much smaller. Their horns are thin and curved-“

_ Horns thin and curved, shell broken on the floor. _

“-I came to help them but, I don’t remember seeing them. I could have sworn I had but... then everything went fuzzy. I don’t remember what happened in between me waiting for them and your appearance. It’s like I had some strange dream.”

_ Scraping metal, blinding gold and bronze, and then a call. _

The Hollow Knight somehow knew what she meant.

Hornet could only place a subtly quivering hand onto her head.

“... Where did they go?”

-

The methodical dripping of water, noxious gas gurgling from below, and the subtle splashing of the nearby stream.

The Royal Waterways were the unfortunate resting grounds of all the things the city above discarded, and nowhere is that more true than the junk pit. Emptied chests and cases, all thrown away until they formed a formidable mound, and amongst them was the lonely Godseeker. Abandoned by a kingdom, and gods old and new.

Her naive search for a new deity had left her a quivering mess amidst the rubble. Black streams of void drained from her eyes in a consistent flow, leaking out of any gaps in her shell it could find. All she could do was quietly whisper as the murky darkness engulfed her entire body.

Once encased, the void began to pulse, sending out small shockwaves as something inside her began to struggle, pushing against the confines of her mind like a restless creature in a cage. At once, four thrashing tendrils erupted from her body. Violently they whipped about trying to find something, a thing to grab onto. The tendrils clamped onto the makeshift floor, crushing the weathered shellwood boxes beneath its claws. Slowly, the inky being began to drag itself out of the Godseeker, her poor shell straining against its mass, threatening to split under the pressure.

The slow and arduous process continued, creating a cacophony of splintering wood, straining metal and fracturing shell until the last of the void creature’s immense body was freed. Even then, their stature was barely contained within the junk pit’s walls. Using it’s four arms, it began to make its way through the small lake and started to squeeze its entire body through the corridor exiting the junk pit, inky body almost moulding to the shape.

The Godseeker on the other hand, had been abandoned once again. Her large, lifeless corpse truly becoming one with the rest of the discarded trash.

The Void Creature, the God of Gods, the Shade Lord, whatever name it was called, began to work its way through the Waterway’s tunnels. Its four limbs drove it forward with purpose and ferocity, trampling the corpses of various flukes under it, paying no mind.

Meanwhile, a lone dung beetle was awoken from his sleep. The dirty walls and floors around him began to rumble, even causing a few of his dung statues to topple and fall apart. Ogrim decided to venture out of his den and see what was the matter, but as soon as he popped his head out the rumbling turned into violent shaking. He crawled out a little further, just enough to get his arms over the ledge of the vertical tunnel, and at the other end of the main dung chamber he saw nothing but a wall of darkness with eight gleaming white lights. A wall that was rushing right towards him. 

Panicking, Ogrim went back down the tunnel, digging into the grimy sides with his claws, but he was still close enough to the surface to see the thing pass overhead, as he still wanted to see what that thing was. Unfortunately for Ogrim, the thing did not grant his wish, instead, it stopped, and lowered its head to look directly down the hole Ogrim was hiding in. As I turned out, they weren’t eight lights, but eight eyes. Eyes that glowed with a burning ferocity that was blinding to behold, not unlike that of the King himself. A long second passed, and the creature turned its head up and continued to run, a wave of pitch black blocked all light into the tunnel as it passed by.

As soon as it was gone, Ogrim realised he forgot to breathe.

He could feel the creature’s rampant scuttling through the walls, indicating it was going down the sides of the abandoned lift shaft.

Down to the Ancient Basin, and lower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to chromicAcid for helping beta read this chapter! I can’t thank you enough buddy. They also provided the hilarious dialogue for the pale king flashback, which I worked into the sentences.
> 
> I apologise for the wait, I intended to have this out a few days ago but quarantine has taken its toll on my motivation.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time doing creative writing in a while, so I hope it turns out well!
> 
> Also special thanks to my friend chromicAcid who helped beta-read this and is also the one that dragged me into bug hell, love ya bud. I also recommend reading their stuff on here!


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